Through Muggle Eyes
by SiriusMarauderFan
Summary: Colin has some apprehension about going to Hogwarts during his first trip to Diagon Alley. one shot.


**Author's Note:** Thanks to Samantha for beta reading. :)

Written for…

Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition. _Team/Position:_ Montrose Magpies, Chaser 1. _Task:_ (Muggle box scenario) Colin's father gives him his camera and asks Colin to take pictures of his new magical life at Hogwarts for him to see. _Prompts:_ labyrinthine, atmosphere, (color) cherry.

 **Through Muggle Eyes**

Colin couldn't remember ever being this excited. He was pretty sure he'd thought the same thing when he got his new bike last year and back in May when his dad took him to see Arsenal play Southampton. But no, this was definitely the best moment of his short life.

He fidgeted with the seatbelt digging into his neck as he stuck his head as far out the car window as he could reach; his eyes wide as he watched the London Eye across the Thames.

A hand patted his bouncing knee, and Colin pulled himself back into the moving car.

"It's only London. You've been here before," his dad said, leaning in close to his ear.

"This is different," Colin whispered back. For a moment, he stared at the back of the driver's seat in front of him and listened to his mother's loud laughter as she chatted with Diane, the woman who had changed their lives.

It all seemed like a dream. Diane had come to them less than a week before to give Colin the letter that he had carried with him every day since. The letter was the only proof he had that all of this was real. He was a _wizard_.

The car slowed to a stop in front of a pub that looked as though it hadn't seen a paintbrush or a broom in fifty years. Diane led Colin and his parents through the crowded building, passed people with _wands_ , and out the back door.

"You'll want to remember this for next year, Colin," Diane told him as she pulled out her own wand. "I won't be with you, and you'll have to get in on your own. Understand?"

Colin nodded emphatically, watching her every move with wide eyes. He committed the pattern she tapped onto the bricks to his memory, even as he watched the wall disappear.

"Amazing," his mum whispered in awe.

Diagon Alley was better than Colin could have dreamt and yet, somehow very normal. Witches and wizards of all ages bustled back and forth between the shops. Brightly-clothed wizards sold their wares from kiosks, and small children begged their parents for ice cream. It was just like going to the shopping centres with his mum.

Except everyone carried wands and wore dresses. Owls flew overhead and perched on shoulders. Shop signs changed the longer you looked at them, and Colin was sure he spotted a gem-encrusted tortoise in a display window. It was all very familiar, but the atmosphere was completely different.

"What do we have to get, son?" his dad asked, clamping a hand on his shoulder.

Colin fished out his acceptance letter and the attached shopping list, both of which were wrinkled around the edges from all the time the family had spent rereading them. He handed the list over to Diane to read.

"Quite the list this year…" she muttered. She handed it back with a smile. "First thing's first, we need to exchange your money. Muggle notes won't do much good here."

Colin wrinkled his nose at the idea of wasting his afternoon in a bank. His dad chuckled.

"Would it be alright if Colin and I explored a bit while you ladies took care of that? Elle has the money."

"Of course, but try to stay on the main street. The alley can be a bit confusing for first-timers. We'll meet you at Ollivander's in twenty minutes."

The Creevey men learned quickly how labyrinthine the streets of Diagon Alley could seem when they got lost not two minutes after setting off on their own.

"This really is something, huh?" Colin's dad said as they stopped to watch two teenagers play a game with coloured pebbles that spit goo at the loser.

"It's amazing." Colin forced a smile for his dad's sake, but inside his stomach felt like he'd swallowed some of that revolting goo. He'd been alternating between states of excitement and dread all week, and it seemed his nerves were making another appearance.

"What's the matter, Col? I can't tell something is up."

Colin shrugged, trying to brush off his feelings as well. "I'm not sure I'm cut out for … for being a wizard. What if I can't do what _they_ can do?" He pointed down the street to a gaggle of witches dancing around with sparks and ribbons flying from their wands.

"That's why you're going to school," his dad said. "So you can learn all that. That letter in your pocket is proof that you belong here, Colin. Now come on, let's do some window shopping before your mum catches up."

They dove into the nearest building which turned out to be a second hand junk shop. Despite the quality of the merchandise inside, Colin found himself starting to get excited again as he looked at battered wands and tarnished cauldrons.

"Hey, look at this," his dad said, beckoning him over to a cluttered table. He was admiring an old camera sitting inside a cherry red box. "It's an Argus C3 Matchmatic."

"What?"

"A camera, Colin, a very _old_ camera. My dad used to have one back in the day. I haven't seen one in ages."

The store clerk shuffled over to them quickly. "Muggles, eh?"

"Yes, sir," said Colin's dad proudly. "My son here is going to Hogwarts."

The clerk nodded, not giving Colin a second look. She reached into the camera's red case and pulled out a small bottle filled with a brownish liquid. "This camera is not what it seems," she told them. "Perhaps you've noticed how our photographs move." She plucked a book off a nearby shelf and turned it over to show them the waving image of the author.

"Cool," Colin and his dad said together.

"Your camera can do that?" Colin's dad asked.

The witch flashed them a yellowed smile and held up the bottle. "Pour this into that little hole there and all the pictures you take will move too."

"I'll take it," he said excitedly, already reaching into his pocket for his wallet. His smile faded seconds later, when he realized he didn't have any wizard money with him. "I … I don't suppose you take, um, muggle money?"

The witch pursed her lips, tapping the table with chipped fingernails. "Normally I wouldn't, but I'll make an exception for such a happy little family.

"Thanks very much!" Colin's dad handed over fifteen pounds – all he had in his wallet – and packed up the camera case enthusiastically. He clutched it to his chest as they navigated their way back to the main street to meet up with the women.

"I want you to take this camera with you to school," his dad said, and Colin shook his head.

"No, Dad, I can't. That's yours and I-"

"Colin," his dad interrupted, a light blush appearing on his pale cheeks. "I'll be honest here; I'm not doing this for you. I know you'll do great a school. You're a good student, and you'll make friends easily. But this," he waved his free hand at the passing madness, "is remarkable, and I want to see more of it. I know Dennis will want to as well."

Colin frowned. He'd been trying not to dwell too much on his brother, and how he was about to leave him behind.

"I want you to take this camera with you to school and take as many pictures as you can. People, classes, magic – I want to see everything, understand?"

Colin grinned up at his dad, taking the red case in his arms. "I promise."

 **A/N:**

Argus C3 Matchmatic is the exact model of camera used for Colin's camera in the HP movies.

Also, I like to think of Colin's dad as the muggle-Arthur Weasley. They would be great friends.


End file.
